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World of FootballAll non Palace football talk - includes latest scores on Internationals and matches that affect palace.

Cardiff last year won the title but at no point really did they string together a series of brilliant performances. They relied on scraping narrow, often lucky wins. So it's not a massive surprise that they are struggling this year, when compounded with off the field issues.

Hull were about as good as Cardiff last year but had to invest very heavily to get to where they are now - they spent £27m this season.

We were extremely poor in the run up to the play-offs. Not sure anyone expected anyone bar Zaha (albeit for another team), Ward and Jedinak to comprehensively make the step up. The players as it turns out, have coped well and been helped by Pulis' setup, but I really don't think the likes of Delaney, Dikgacoi, Bolasie etc are clear Premier League players. They're decent Championship players playing above themselves.

Would expect Leicester to end up comfortably mid-table next season, around 13th-14th or so, perhaps higher.

You can, sort of, predict how well a team will do based off historical info. We know for example, how many less points/GD a team has upon promotion, on average. Obviously there will be fluctuations around these numbers but on average you can use it as a good predictor.

I don't think promoted team performance is really as random as people assume. The thing about all those title winners who faltered the following year, is that they often were getting very lucky in their promotion season. Reading of two years ago were often getting outplayed but getting lucky wins. Same for Cardiff last year. When Derby went up they weren't very good at all, again, scraping together fortunate wins. They all ran out of luck the next season. The QPR side you mention wasn't much to do with the players of the prior season but the awful transfer strategy the following years.

Leicester have stormed the league not just by getting results but by having performances befitting of their results as well, unlike the likes of Reading and Cardiff. That's why I'd be very surprised if they do anywhere near as badly as those sides did.

I'm basing my assessment of their likely success next year on the quality of their current squad (which I'm sure there'll improve). At present I don't think their squad is better than the one we were promoted with or Cardiff's but perhaps is on par with Hull.

I'm basing my assessment of their likely success next year on the quality of their current squad (which I'm sure there'll improve). At present I don't think their squad is better than the one we were promoted with or Cardiff's but perhaps is on par with Hull.

It's not

Players like Nugent,Dyer, Konchesky, Schmeichel and St Ledger are not good enough for the Premiership. Some have been there before and not been any good.

I would doubt Vardy's ability to step up to this league, considering the slow start he had in the Championship.

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end

Paul, do you really think Dyche would take a number 2 position with his reputation so high at the moment? Can't see it tbh.

I'd bet on Dyche's star falling rapidly next season. Victim of his own success/over achievement this season and the club's (understandable) desperation to stay in the PL. His career might be defined by his next job.

Players like Nugent,Dyer, Konchesky, Schmeichel and St Ledger are not good enough for the Premiership. Some have been there before and not been any good.

I would doubt Vardy's ability to step up to this league, considering the slow start he had in the Championship.

St Ledger doesn't even play. Dyer has been excellent this season but has been usurped recently by Mahrez who looks class, far above the likes of Bolasie.

As Paul points out, you'd be surprised at the level of player who can at least appear competent if not entirely comfortably at Prem level. Not like this Palace side is full of top quality players, Ward+Chamakh aside.

after the claridge goal and living in leicester for years, i have to say i hate them! they think they are better than they are and there manager already left once, to go hull, so think its strange how everyone is climbing up his arse, as he is disloyal! nothing would make me happier than them getting relegated and us staying up! least i can go to away games easy enough vs them, other than that i dont really have any thought on leicester other than they are a bunch of tools!